Yasukuni Shrine

It was founded in 1869 to enshrine the spirits of samurais killed in
the civil war to overthrow the feudal Edo government and found the new
Meiji government.
And after that, the spitits of all Japanese person killed in some wars
involving Japan had been enshrined.
So now about 2,466 thousand spirits are enshrined, and about 2,342
thousand of them are killed in the World War II.

This shrine had been placed under the government before the World War
II.
But after the war, it became a mere religious corporation under a
current Constitution that demands separation of religion and politics.
Every day, many Japanese people visit here to renew a pledge not to
fight a war again.

However, troublingly, the class-A war criminals of
the World War II are included in the spirits.
So whenever the Japan's prime minister visit here, a few neighbor
countries which Japan had once occupied protest against Japan.

Of course, I hear a variety of arguments for and against the visit by
Japan's prime minister.
Some have a suggestion to enshrine the class-A war criminals
separately. But Japan government cannot force the shrine to do so.
Others have a suggestion to build a new national memorial facilities.
But it's not that the suggestion gains much approval.
I think that it may not be resolved soon.

There is a museum "Yushukan" in the precincts of a shrine.
In the museum, many articles related to some wars are displaying. We
can see also a famous warplane named Zero, tank, torpedoes and other
weapons used in the war.

The Mitama Festival is popular, and is held from July 13th to 16th
every year.